Seeking to distract from the war in Ukraine and rising prices at home, the Kremlin is amplifying anti-migrant rhetoric

Despite a nationwide labor shortage, Russian governors are actively taking measures to restrict economic migration. Since the start of the year, nearly 20 regions have imposed work restrictions on foreigners, and in July, the State Duma passed a package of three laws creating a “special deportation regime” that sharply limits migrants’ rights. Russian police have also ramped up raids on migrant communities, while politicians increasingly inflame negative sentiments toward labor migrants. Meduza spoke with Kremlin insiders and government officials for insight into why the Russian authorities are escalating anti-migrant rhetoric and how this relates to the war in Ukraine and issues at home.

In the wake of the March 2024 terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, which was allegedly perpetrated by Tajikistani nationals, Russian media outlets have regularly covered police raids on businesses suspected of employing illegal migrants. The typical TV segment shows bewildered workers being herded into buses by police, who then report on the number of “illegals” apprehended.

The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has called on the State Duma to tighten migration legislation and even openly refers to it as the “State Dura” (“State Fool”) for its inaction. Systemic “opposition” figures, such as Sergey Mironov, the leader of the A Just Russia – For Truth party, also actively employ anti-migrant rhetoric. For instance, Mironov has claimed that residents of Russian-occupied Mariupol complain about “migrant workers” who “live by their own laws and ways.” Leonid Slutsky, the head of the right-wing nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, introduced a bill to the Duma that would ban migrant families from entering Russia.

Meanwhile, the number of Russian regions where governors prohibit migrants from working in specific sectors is increasing. In the Moscow region, migrants are no longer permitted to serve food or sell alcohol and tobacco. In the Chelyabinsk region, the ban extends to all areas of trade and automotive services.

A political strategist who works with the Putin administration told Meduza that Russian authorities are deliberately drawing attention to the fight against migrants to distract public attention from other issues — primarily the war and rising prices. A high-ranking official from a region that has already imposed work bans on migrants echoed the sentiment.

“There’s a classic set of topics that can easily distract people from truly important agendas,” explained the political strategist. “One of them is the migrant issue, and it’s quite straightforward to pull off: tell a story about a conflict involving migrants, a confrontation with local residents, then show how security forces resolve the issue by searching for illegals and deporting them. It builds up tension and then releases it.”

The strategist noted that many Russians have negative attitudes toward migrants, and residents of certain areas, especially in the Moscow region, consider them one of the main problems facing society. This is partially corroborated by sociological surveys: in 2024, 52 percent of respondents in a VTsIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Center) poll said they wanted to restrict the entry of labor migrants and their families into Russia. In comparison, in 2023, 40 percent viewed labor migration as a negative phenomenon.

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The anti-migrant issue “really works well to distract from other problems,” agreed a source close to the Kremlin. However, he said that the tactic is “not easy to implement”:

The “delicacy” of the topic is evident in how it’s covered by state and state-affiliated media. An employee from a pro-government media outlet told Meduza that news about crimes committed by migrants gets plenty of traffic, but the topic shouldn’t be overly emphasized. “A report on the facts is enough,” he explained. “Although if you continue [to delve into each individual story], interview locals, look for details, you can really rack up [views].”

Migration and discrimination in Putin’s Russia

The Kremlin advises officials to proceed carefully as well. A source close to the presidential administration and another near the government noted that the authorities aren’t at all opposed to governors imposing restrictions on migrants in their regions. But they do insist on one condition: the measures shouldn’t harm the local economy. In other words, while the authorities aren’t ready to adopt anti-migrant laws at the federal level, they still want to show society that they’re addressing the “problem.”

Both sources noted that those at the helm of Russia’s security forces are advocating for even stricter restrictions on migrants, viewing them as one of the main sources of terrorist threats in the country. “Banning everything simplifies their work. But many sectors can’t function without migrants — especially construction. Here, they’ll hold off on restrictions as long as possible,” said the source close to the government.

Indeed, the Russian economy is facing a labor shortage. The government regularly reports worker shortages across a wide range of industries, and the official unemployment rate in the country is at a record low of 2.6 percent.

Despite this, neither Meduza’s sources close to the Kremlin nor those in the government expect to see a reduction in the level of anti-migrant rhetoric from the authorities anytime soon, because the topic is politically advantageous.

One government source sees this as a serious problem: